Lam Piles It On

If you looked carefully at those re-cent Tod’s ads featuring a relaxed and sun-kissed Gwyneth Paltrow curled up on a couch under a cozy fur coat, fringed bag at her side, you might have noticed the hardware on her wrists: specifically, thin leather bands centered with silver rectangles. Evoking the nautical sportiness of raffia and leather wristbands, the bracelets are elegant in a just-threw-these-on-before-boarding-my-very-big-boat sort of way. Turns out that’s exactly the vibe Tod’s creative director, Derek Lam, had in mind for his debut jewelry collection for the Italian label—the company’s first, in fact, that includes those aforementioned bangles as well as rings, key chains, belts and cuffs. “Casual chic,” Lam dubs it, and calls the line an inevitable “next step after small leather goods.” Drawing less upon the house’s storied past and more on the clean, classic shapes of work by artists Piet Mondrian and Tamara de Lempicka, Lam’s collection boasts that classic Tod’s-ian toffee hue and less expected shades—violet, black, navy blue—with stark silver embellishments. (Not missing a logo beat, Lam has applied a “T” to several styles.) And for those Gwyneth bracelets, Lam took his inspiration from a Pilar Olaverri sculpture and invited its creator to collaborate on the design. “Our idea was to have a strong support around the wrist in the form of thin, multiple laces holding on to a little sculpture,” Lam says. Currency—as in modernity—was key. “We preferred to not look at the archive,” he says, noting that “the informal image of the jewelry was a specific choice.” Loosen up, yacht lovers.